VVS Laxman. Legend.

It would have been fitting to write an editorial for this match with just three words: VVS Laxman. Legend.

That is what VVS Laxman's batting does to you - it robs you of words. After the high of India's win had come down by a tiny notch or two though, more words and phrases suggested themselves:

The man for the moment, all-time great, living proof that nice guys finish first too, the man whom all of India collectively turn to when the pressure is on - even ahead of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, fantastic, out-of-the-world, superb, magician, wizard...

Even the cliches that have been milked dry (Very Very Special etc) came, but none were enough to describe Laxman's batting. The words ran dry, but the magic of his batting remained. No one has quite managed to bring so alive the metaphor 'he waved his bat like a wand'. Laxman does wave the bat - in graceful arcs and wristy flourishes - and the quality of his batting seems impossible without resorting to a wand for other mortals.

Consider the situation: India, a team with a history of messing up fourth innings chases, had slipped badly once again. Laxman hadn't been on the field for most of the Test match with a back spasm (a spasm that was serious enough for him to walk out at Number 10 in the first innings), and wasn't at his physical best. Even with his back troubles, he was batting beautifully. But while he kept his head, others lost theirs - with the result that he was running out of partners.

The circumstances were as trying as could be, and the Indian cricket fan had already thrown in the towel. No one seriously believed that India stood a chance of winning the match at 124/8. Laxman was there all right, but how many would have thought that he could actually shepherd the tail through?

That is another facet of Laxman's batting - one that is almost always pushed into the background because the sheer artistry of his strokes overwhelm you: He makes you believe again after all hope is crushed.

He doesn't have the battle-hardened air that Steve Waugh exuded, or the intense look that Rahul Dravid's eyes have when faced with a challenge, or the sheer cussedness and never-say-die spirit that Australian teams wear on their sleeves - but there is a steel core to the man that comes to the fore whenever his country turns to him. His back was spasming, but the backbone of the Indian team held firm.

Twice already in 2010, he has played innings that left everyone who watched them feel thankful for being born in the same era as VVS Laxman. The first time was against South Africa, at his home-away-from-home - the Eden Gardens [Link]. That was a master-class in the art of giving joy to the viewer. Then he did it in the last Test match that India played, to level the series against Sri Lanka [Link] - an innings that showcased steel and his ability under pressure. Though both those innings resulted in centuries, they must now take second place to this one - where he combined the artistry and steel evident in differing measures in both into a seamless whole. The steel was evident in the way he overcame obstacles that cowed everyone else around him. The artistry was evident in the shots that flowed like notes off Mozart's piano. The seamless combination was evident in the fact that he ended up with 73 not out off 79 balls, scoring at a strike rate of 90-plus after walking into a score that read 76/5, on a fifth day pitch against a team that not only is famed for never giving an inch, but one that often takes a foot off the opponent at the slightest sign of indecision or nerves.

VVS Laxman came into this Test match without having played much competitive cricket for two months, and the memory of his match-winning century in Sri Lanka already starting to seem slightly distant. He left as an acknowledged modern-day master, and a man without parallel for creating magic with a cricket bat.